Sweaty Betty Glasgow x JDH Aveda Yoga Lock-In

On Friday the awesome Sweaty Betty Glasgow threw a yoga bash at the James Dun's House Aveda Lifestyle Salon. The salon is named similarly to the original in Aberdeen; which actually resides in the ex-museum James Dun's House. One of the store Ambassadors, Colette, from Infinity Hot Yoga, hosted classes and Juice Warrior drinks were on hand for tasty re-hydration. I ran down from work, ready to stretch it out. My left leg had been quite tight and I had also missed Pilates that week so felt very much in need of some gentle movement.

The JDH Aveda salon and spa runs over multiple levels. The top level- hairdressing- was where the class was to be held. Prior to that evening I hadn't considered how similar hairdressers and exercise studios actually are- high ceilings, natural light, modern glossy wooden floors... Pretty spot on! It made for a gorgeous yoga spot; but I did end up with a few errant hairs stuck to my legs!

When I arrived the previous class was still being taught; and you could hear Colette's instruction floating down from in high, "breathe in, breathe out". Robyn and Lorna suggested grabbing a free spa treatment downstairs before class. Downstairs was like a different world- soft, warm light; decor in shades of chocolate. Lovely. I waited a few minutes and tried out some of the Aveda moisturizers. Then I was called into a treatment room and offered a choice of two relaxing oils. I chose a menthol/mint/lemon style oil. I then received an amazing back and neck massage. God I love massages. It really was the perfect antidote to a stressful week. The treatment finished with a short hair massage- I love the feeling of my hair being played with; and since it was pre-yoga I didn't mind the oil in the hair.

Then it was up the stairs. I was pretty happy to spot the now-iconic team SB goodie bags, in the nicest colour yet. I later found that this bag contained a running water bottle, vouchers, and hair bobbles that don't snag. As always, very generous freebies!

Anyways, what we came for- the yoga! We went through a series of classic poses, with a lot of leg-focused stretching and some moves focused on relaxation. I was so happy with how low I managed to get in pigeon pose under this tuition, and how close I could get my head to my knees in other poses.

I've been taught by Colette before (in pilates) and knew she was an excellent teacher. She's just as great in yoga- friendly, encouraging, hands on, inspirational; with constant reminders of breathing and core strength. She said so many useful things throughout the session. I honestly wish I had recorded her.

The two that stood out for me were her comments on comparison to others. She talked about how we all see instagram yogis doing beatific inversions and forget that we all start somewhere and we are at a beginning (myself especially!). She also talked about how your brain stops you half the time- by freaking out before it is asked to do something; by glancing around at the girl two mats over thinking, 'oh god she's perfect at this, oh god I can't do this'. One quote I do remember:

"You're not in her body. You are in yours. That's where your mind should be".

After the class we all stayed and chatted for a while; and repeatedly thanked Colette. She also showed us her favourite pose... A flawless 'monkey' aka the front splits. On exit we had our choice of the Juice Warrior range. I went for the Pillar Box- watermelon, mint, and lime. Delicious!

A huge thanks to Sweaty Betty and Aveda for such a lovely night. It was so relaxing; and honestly I felt I needed it. Robyn and Lorna also mentioned they are starting a Sweaty Betty Sunday morning run club in March; so that's definitely something to watch out for!

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Do you like massages? People playing with your hair? I love it. I also very definitely have an AMSR, so the sounds are really relaxing to me too.

What is the best thing a yoga teacher has taught you?

Clarification: This post was not sponsored or requested by the company, and the only freebies I was given were included in the free class and available to all participants, not just bloggers. The event could be attended by anyone. No links are affiliate; all just for information.

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Comments:

Ohmygosh yoga AND a massage....I would be in heaven! One of the things I look forward to the most at my yoga studio is the "assists" where the yoga assistant gently helps you get into a pose, with a little extra mini rub down at the end. Sounds like you had a great day!

First things first, hi! I don't do that much yoga but whenever I do I have a love/hate relationship with it. I feel like if maybe I had a partner who knew what they were doing so I would't feel so lost I would really like it. I love it because of the silence too but then hate it because then it gives me so much time to think and sometimes I get caught up and can't clear my head!

Hi! Yeah I am not a natural yogi. I get caught in my head thinking, "I suck so much, oh my god I suck so much", over and over. The teacher for this class was so good at getting you into the right 'space'. I feel like yoga is very teacher specific!